Tag Archives: Pantani

Our Friday night films form part of of the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling which runs from the 9th to the 19st of June so there is a distinct cycling flavour.

Our main feature is Pantani: The Accidental Death of a Cyclist plus before the main feature we have two short films.

The big screen premier of The World’s First Bicycle – a quintessentially Scottish tale brings the story of Dumfries-shires Kirkpatrick Macmillan to life.

Then continuing the Rising from Ashes story from last year we are also screening Fastest Woman in Africa – Rwanda’s First Female Cyclist a short documentary (15 minutes) about Jeanne d’Arc Girubuntu who is the only woman on Rwanda’s national cycling team, based at the Africa Rising Cycling Centre (ARCC).

And the normal BVS experience will be enhanced by the Heverlee Witte bike caddy team who will be on hand with a complimentary cold beer. Heverlee Witte (pronounced Vi-tte) is a seasonal wheat beer brewed with orange peel, reminiscent of beers traditionally enjoyed in summertime in Belgium. It is medium bodied and slightly fruity in flavour, with top notes of citrus orange and hints of cloves and other aromatic spices.

The main feature is Pantani: The Accidental Death of a Cyclist: In 1998 Marco Pantani, the most flamboyant and popular cyclist of his era, won both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, a titanic feat of physical and mental endurance that no rider has repeated since. He was a hero to millions, the saviour of cycling following the doping scandals which threatened to destroy the sport. However, less than six years later, aged just 34, he died alone, in a cheap hotel room, from acute cocaine poisoning. He had been an addict for five years. This is the story of the tragic battles fought by the most important Italian cyclist of his generation; man verses mountain, athlete verses addiction, Marco Pantani verses himself.

Balerno Village Screen is a community cinema free to attend and funded by donations. We ask that you reserve a free ticket in advance (via the button above) to help us manage numbers. We also ask that if you can no longer attend to cancel your ticket to allow someone else to see the film.

Tickets are also available via the Mill Cafe or you can book and print your tickets at Balerno Library (staff are happy to help).